Drag-line bucket excavator.



1. c. FRENCH.

DRAG LINE BUCKET EXCAVATOR.

APPLlCATION FILED DEC.2. I914.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- J. C. FRENCH.

DRAG LINE BUCKET EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 050.2,1914.

1,275,548. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- JAMES C. FRENCH, 0F KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR To FREDERICK C.AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAG-LIN E BUCKET EXCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

Application filed December 2, 1914. Serial No. 875,083.

To all "H'll-OHL it may concern:

Be it known that I. James C. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Kenosha, Kenosha county, Wisconsin, (510Exchange street,) have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inDrag-Line Bucket Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavating ma: chines of that kind in which adrag-line bucket is operated or pulled along the ground, and in whichmeans are provided for hoisting the bucket to dumping position.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide a novel andhighly efficient excavator of this general character.

A special object is to provide an improved construction and arrangementfor dumping the load by tilting the bucket backward while suspended inan elevated position.

Another object is to provide a novel construction and arrangementwhereby the drag-line is employed for holding the bucket in carryingposition, and in which means are provided for openin the rear end of thebucket when the pul on the drag-line is relaxed, or thereafter by a jerkon the drag-line, when the bucket reaches dumping position.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features ofconstruction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiencyand serviceability of a drag-line bucket arrangement of this particularcharacter.

To these and other useful ends my invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure I is a side elevation of adrag-line bucket excavator embodying the principles of my invention,showing the bucket in loading position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of said bucket, in the positionshown in Fig. 1, showing the construction of the means for automaticallyopening the rear dump-- mg gate by tilting the bucket backward.

ig. 3 is a rear elevation of the bucket shown in Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4- is a side elevation of the bucket on the same scale as Figs. 2and 3, but showing the bucket in dumping position.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on line 55 in Fig. 3.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a body A supported on aturntable B of any suitable character, said turntable being mounted oncaterpillars C or other suitable traction devices. The boom D is pivotedon the front end of the body at d, so that it may be raised and lowered,and is supported in the desired position by the raising and loweringcable al connected with the outer end thereof. 1

The bucket E is closed at its top and sides and bottom, but is providedwith an open mouth at its forward end, and with a swinging gate 6 at itsrear end. It will be seen that the said gate is provided with curvedarms e which are pivoted to the top of the bucket at 6 whereby said gateis adapted to swing upward and outward to dump the load. A bail F, ofany suitable character, is pivoted to the sides of the bucket at f, sothat the weight of the load is in rear of the horizontal axis thusprovided, causing the bucket to tilt backward when not held in carryingposition. The drag-line G is secured to the front of the bucket, in theusual manner, and the hoist line H is secured to the upper end of saidbail. A hitch 9 extends from the drag-line over the sheave f on theupper portion of the bail, and thence down to the point f where it issecured to the top of the bucket. A locking bolt 6 is mounted on thegate e, and is adapted to engage an opening 6* in the bracket, portion ewhich is secured to the heel of the bucket. The springs e are soconnected thatvthey serve to yieldingly hold the bolt in lockingposition, in the manner shown. A bracket 6 is mounted u on the top ofthe bucket, at the rear thereo and is provided with a sheave P, a shorthitch f extending over said sheave from the hitch g to the upper end ofsaid locking bolt.

The hoist -line H extends upward and over a sheave i on the boom, and toa suitable winding drum mechanism X on the body of the machine, whichmechanism may be of any suitable known or approved character. Thedrag-line G also leads to said winding drum mechanism, being supportedby a sheave d on the body, and may be pull is directly on the mouth ofthe bucket during the loading operation. When the bucket is hoisted itis held in carrying position by maintaining a tension or pull on thedrag-line, in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. i, and at suchtime there is still no pull on the hitch f whereby the hoisting of thebucket does not unlatch the dumping gate. When the bucket arrives atdumping position, the tension or pull on the drag-line is then relaxed,allowing the bucket to tilt backward. The hitch g is provided with aknot g disposed in position to strike the sheave f and the sheavemounting g at about the time the bucket is very nearly in dumpingposition. This causes a pull to be exerted on the hitch f in the mannershown in Fig. i, with the result that the locking bolt 0 is drawn upwardto release the dumping gate, thereby allowing the dumping gate to assumethe position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Thus the bucket E ismountedto tilt backward when the drag-line is slacked oil. The pressureof the load then opens the gate. In this Way the load is discharged fromthe rear end of the bucket, by means of a pivoted gate which isautomatically opened by the backward tilting of the bucket, whichtilting operation is produced by relaxing the pull on the dragline. Ofcourse, should the latch fail to operate to release the load, a quickjerk on the drag-line will then unlatch the gate, inasmuch as the latchis connected to the dragline. When the bucket is lowered to the ground,the end of the locking bolt 6 slides over the bracket 6 until it engagesthe opening e, and the springs c then force the bolt into said opening.In this way the dumping gate is automatically locked in position toenable the bucket to receive another load.

Thus the rope or cable g, through its con nection with the pivot 7,serves to support the bucket in hoisting position, as shown in Fig. l,the drag-line being maintained taut at this time. Obviously, however, assoon as the pull on the drag-line is relaxed, the weight of the rear endof the bucket then tilts the latter backward, so that the pull is thrownon the hitch f as soon as the knot g strikes the sheave on the bail,thus quickly unlatching the door and allowing the load to discharge fromthe rear end of the bucket. In this way, the means for automaticallyunlocking the door involves a flexible connection extending over thebucket to the drag-line, in the manner explained.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An excavating machine of the class in which a bucket is operated by adrag-line and raised by a hoist line, substantially as shown anddescribed, characterized by this, to-wit:that said bucket is pivoted sothat it tilts backward when the drag-line is slacked 0E, and has apivoted rear end gate for dumping the load, said gate being arranged tobe opened by the pressure of the load, a latch for said gate, and meansconnected with the drag-line and arranged for unlatching said gate bytilting the bucket backward while suspended in dumping position, and sothat if the bucket tilts without dumping the load a jerk on the draglinewill then unlatch the gate.

2. The structure of claim 1, as specified, said bucket having a bail forsaid hoist-line, and a sheave carried on said bail to engage said means.

3. The structure of claim 1, as specified, said bucket having a fixedpoint of connection with said means and also a sheave for engaging saidmeans at the rear end of the bucket.

l. An excavating machine oi. the class in which a bucket is operated bya drag-line and raised by a hoist line, substantially as shown anddescribed, characterized by this, to-witz-that said bucket is pivoted sothat it tilts backward when the drag-line is slacked off, and has apivoted rear end gate for dumping the load, said gate being arranged tobe opened by the pressure of the load, a latch for said gate, and meansconnected with the drag-line and arranged for unlatching said gate bytilting the bucket backward while suspended in dumping po- .sition; saidmeans including a hitch extendingfrom the drag-line to the rear portionof the bucket, a sheave engaging said hitch, a bail supporting saidsheave, a connection from said hitch to said latch, a sheave engagingsaid connection, supported on the bucket, a stop on said bail, and meanson said hitch for engaging said stop to exert a pull on said connectionand thereby unlatcg the gate when the bucket is tilted backwar 5. Thestructure of claim 4, as specified, in which said latch is provided witha spring to resist unlatching of the gate, and said latch being operableby a jerk on the dragline if the backward tilting of the bucket fails todump the load.

6. The structure of claim 4, as specified, in which said hitch has afixed connection with the rear end of said bucket at a point immediatelybelow the sheave which. engages the connection to the latch.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 14th day of November, 1914.

JAMES C. FRENC lVitnes-ses:

RACHEL J. l'l-rorranoson, Rosa E. SEHNEM.

